Hydraulic press



Nov. 21, 1939.

1-:. D. EBY ET AL HYDRAULI C PRES 5 Filed March 25, 1959 m 8 w "kg i:

w U w Invent oIS: E Lgene I) Eby, Thomas C. Aitchison,

Then- Attorne g.

Patented Nov. 21, 1939 HYDRAULIC PRESS Eugene D. Eby and Thomas C. Aitchison, Pittsfield, Mass, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 23, 1939, Serial No. 263,736

11 Claims.

The present invention is directed to hydraulic presses for uniting lengths of electric cables by means of tubular connectors in which the conductors are secured both mechanically and electrically by means of indentations formed in the wall of each connector.

The object of our invention is the provision of an improved press which is powerful in its action, is of simple,- reliable construction and low in weight and small in size considering the work it has to perform. 7

For a consideration of what we believe to be novel and our invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which is illustrative of our invention, Fig. 1 is a side view of the press with certain of the parts broken away to show the interior; Fig. 2 is a view of the upper or head part of the press with one of the members swung outwardly; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the upper part of the head; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the press; Fig. 5 illustrates the use of an adapter whereby the ends of sectorshaped conductors may be made round to facilitate jointing; Fig. 6 is a detail view showing means for securing the dies in their proper positions, and Fig. 7 shows the connector so indented as to form a good electrical and mechanical connection between it and the strands of a conductor.

In order to gain some idea of the requirements of the press, before entering into a detail de scription thereof, it is to be noted that the press has to be powerful in its action, in this case 35 developing a pressure of ten tons on the ram which actuates the punch that indents the connector to unite it and theconductors. Such presses are intended largely for connecting lengths of multi-conductor cables of which those having three conductors are the most common, the conductors being spaced in 120 degree relation. Because of the limited space available between conductors when aligned for jointing and because the work has to be done in a relatively small space, usually an underground manhole, it is essential that the press be made as small as possible consistent with the character of work to be performed and low in 50 weight. It should also be small and easily handled because at times the cables being connected or spliced are located between other previously connected cables whose positions are fixed and cannot as a practical matter be 55 changed. The press illustrated herein has a weight of the order of fifteen pounds, and has a total length of the order of twelve inches. The figures given above are to be regarded as illustrations and not limitations.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the cylinder of the press inside of which is located a ram or piston 8, and a retractile compression spring 9 for withdrawing the tool or punch 8 after each indenting operation. The spring is held under initial compression by a nut 9 which in is threaded into the upper end of the cylinder. The tool has a screw threaded inner part which is seated in the outer end of the rod of the ram.

The working face of the tool has two tapering side. faces connected by a well rounded nose portionfi-la The size and shape of the tool is governed largely by the diameter of the connectors employed for joining conductors and the number and spacing of the indents to be made therein. Liquid under pressure is admitted to the underside of the ram by a suitable conduit H] which is located at some convenient place, such as the bottom or side of the cylinder. The manually operated pump for supplying liquid to the cylinder may be of any known or suitable construction and for that reason is not illustrated.

Secured to the upper end of the cylinder, as by screw threads, is a head comprising a main or fixed member H and a movable member I2, the former terminating at the top in a fork between the legs of which the upper end of the member I2 is located. The two parts or members are connected at the top by a hinge or pivot pin l3 which is held in place against axial movement by suitable means, as'by set screws. for example.

Presses have heretofore been made in which the head is in the form of a hook with an open side through which the work is inserted and withdrawn. Such a press is disclosed in the patent of Eugene D. Eby and Thomas C. 40 Aitchison, No. 2,158,855. Because the hook is subjected to enormous pressure when the punch is indenting the work, it has to be made very strong with the result that a large amount of metal necessarily has to be employed therein which means that the press as a whole is heavier and because of the considerable mass of metal employed in the hook, it becomes more diflicult to insert the hook between the angularly 5 spaced conductors preparatory to an indenting operation. In our improved press, the above mentioned difliculties are avoided by making the head of two principal parts or members, one of which is fixed and the other movable. The mem- 55 here are so arranged that they mutually support each-other whereby excessive strains on the members, particularly on the fixed member is avoided and therefore it can be made less massive and hence of less size and weight. Reducing the size of the fixed member also renders it substantially easier to insert the head of the press between the angularly spaced conductors. To 'avoid increased weightand bulk as well as prevent bending of the part II, special means are provided comprising interlocking shoulders I4 and 15, one of which is on part II and the other on part II. These shoulders are botlisfightlyl curved on a radius the center of which g'is the axis of the pivot or hinge pin I! as imgcated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the res is closed, as in Fig. 1, the shoulders are in firm contact so that while the hinge pin l3 takes part of the load, the remainder is taken by the interlocking 2o shoulders.

Without a suitable locking means, the parts II and 12 would separate when pressure is applied by the ram to the punch 8" and the work. For this purpose, a special locking arrangement is provided comprising a pair of parallel links IB and il located below the work receiving opening on opposite/sides of the head which are connected on the right hand side by a rod l8 that fits into the shallow recess I9 in the movable member i2 when the press is closed and ready to be operated. .The left hand ends of the links are seated on ins or pivots 20 formed as integral parts of an eccentric 2|, as best shown in Fig. 4. The eccentric is located in suitable bearings 22 carried by the fixed part or member ll of the head. A

handle 23 is seated in the eccentric for turning it.

When the handle is down, as shown in Fig. 1,

the eccentric is in such position that it exerts a strong pull on the links Iii and I1 and tightly seats the rod l8 in the groove I! of the movable part l2 of the head. Under this condition, the eccentric is so positioned that it resists any tendency for a force exerted on the links to turn it.

In other words, the eccentric is moved slightly over its dead center to render it self locking.

When the handle 23 is elevated to the position shown in Fig. 2, the eccentric is turned to a position where it pushes the links to the right, thus releasing the rod II from the recess is, permitting it to drop and release the movable part or member l2 of the head, afterwhich the part may be swung outwardly by a sufiicient amount to permit the insertion or withdrawal of the connector 24 which encloses the strandedor other conductor 25. It is desirable to locate the links below the work receiving opening between the members since by so doing, a greater effective leverage is obtained on the movable member.

The two parts or members II and I2 between them define an opening to receive the work or parts to be connected. As it is desirable to use the same press for difierent sizes of conductors and connectors, a two-part die 20 is employed, the plane of division being vertical. The outside diameter'of the die is such as to fit the opening defined by the members while the inside diameter or bore is selected to correspond to the connector which is to be indented. In the event that the press is to be used for work of one size, the use of a die is not always necessary.- In order to hold the half dies in place, each is provided witha pair of ears 21 engagingopposite side faces of the members. To hold the die parts in place against accidental displacement, spring means are provided of which one example is shown in conductors in three conductor cables, and be- Fig. 6. In one or both of the ears is a spring pressed ball 2| that engages with considerable friction on side faces of parts II and I2. The lower parts of the die between them define an opening 29, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, through which the punch 8' passes in its upward movement and later indents the wall of the connector or work in a manner to force the strands of the conductor into very firm contact with each other and the inner wall of the tubular connector. This is shown in Fig. 7 where 30 indicates the indent caused by the punch 8*. For some purposes, a single indent between a connector and a conductor is sufilcient while for others, two or more may be provided. Where two or more indents are used, they may be in the same plane or angularly displaced.

In the practical use of the press, the conductors to be united are moved into approximate alignment after which the connector or sleeve 24 is slipped into position over one conductor and then the second conductor is inserted into the tubular connector or sleeve 24 at its opposite end. The next step, with the press members II and i2 open, is to insert the press into space between the other conductors of the cable and properly align it with the connector, then close and lock the members by the links and eccentric after which liquid under the necessary pressure is admitted to the cylinder to cause the ram and punch to move upwardly and indent the connector as shown in Fig. 7, which has the eilect of uniting one conductor and one end of the connector. Pressure is then released and the punch and ram returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 by the spring 9. The press is then moved axially to the position for a second indentation when the operation is repeated. It may be necessary in some cases to release the locking means in order to move the press because the very great force exerted by the ram and punch causes the connector to be wedged into firm contact with the inner wall of the die.

It is common practice to use sector-shaped cause the opposed ends of such conductors fre-- quently do not occupy the same angular positions,v and because such shapes mean that the bore of the connector would have to be correspondingly shaped and sized, it is desirable to change the shape of the conductor ends from sector to round and to use tubular connectors having cylindrical bores. Since the conductors are relatively massive and their shape not easily changed, it is desirable to use the press in making the change. To this end, a two-part adapter or die is provided as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The parts ii and 32 of the adapter or die present cylindrical surfaces to the wall of the opening defined by the members II and I2 and at the start are separated by a space 33 which is subsequently closed during the pressing operation. The walls of the die gradually thicken from a region lying in a vertical diametrical plane to the ends of the die adjacent the opening 32. In other words, the outside wall of the die is cylindrical while the inner wall is oval. The half dies are held in their respective positions by the lugs or ears 21 and'the spring pressed balls 2|. in his particular the arrangement is similar to that shown in Fig. 1. There is this difference, however, that in Fig. 1 the die is divided in a vertical plane while in Fig. 5, it is divided in a horizontal plane. Inside of the die is a sector-shaped conductor 34, which is to be changed to round. Because it is not 75 desired to indent the conductor, the lower half of the die is solid and provided with a shallow seat 35 to receive the upper end of the punch or tool. When liquid pressure is applied to the 5 ram, the punch 8 rises into engagement with the seat 35 and thereafter the whole lower half of the die moves upward thereby forcing the conductor to change from a sector shape to a round shape. In some cases, more than a single operation of the ram, punch and dies is desirable to fully attain the round shape desired, the press being angularly adjusted between operations. Ai'ter the desired shape is attained, the press is opened, the die 32, 33 removed and the die 26 5 of Fig. 1 inserted, after which the indenting operation is performed as above described.

It is to be noted that the connector 24 during the indenting operation is completely supported over its entire periphery. This is important for two reasons: First, since the connector cannot yield outwardly or change from a round to another shape, it follows that the indent will not only press the strands of the conductor into firm contact with each other but also into firm con- 26 tact with the inner wall of the connector as well. Because of this fact, a cross-section taken through an indented connector and cable resembles a solid mass of metal. Second, the preservation of the round exterior of the connector 30 means that the necessary insulating tape for the joint can be applied thereto layer by layer more uniformly and smoothly with less danger of voids between turns than would be the case it the shape was changed. Also, if it be desired to make a second indent angularly displaced from the first,

it can readily be done, which would not be the case if the connector was distorted out of round by the first indentation.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a tool moved by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members hinged together and defining an opening to receive the work, interlocking means between the two members, a link means for locking the members, and an eccentric for moving the link means in the direction of its length to cause it to engage the movable member and move the interlocking means in firm engagement.

2. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a tool moved by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members defining between them an opening to receive the work, a pivot pin uniting the members at their upper ends, interlocking shoulders on the members located below the opening, a pair 01' links for locking the members pivoted to one 01' them and located below the opening, a means connecting the outer ends of the links which engages the other member, and an eccentric for moving the links and causing the means to engage the said other member and hold the shoulders of the two members in firm engagement.

3. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a tool moved by the ram, 9. head secured to and means for turning the eccentric to cause the links to engage and be disengaged from the other of the members.

4. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a punch moved by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members defining an opening to receive the work, a pivot pin uniting the members at their outer ends, a two part die for the work having a cylindrical bore located in the opening and supported one part by the fixed member and the other by the movable member, the plane of division being in an axial plane, the lower portions of the two dies defining an opening through which the punch moves to indent the work, means on the members which engage when the members are closed about the work to resist the thrust of the punch, and releasable means for locking the members in their closed position.

5. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a punch moved by the ram, a, head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members defining an opening to receive the work, a pivot pin uniting the members at their outer ends, an adapter die divided in a transverse plane and located in the work receiving opening to change the shape of the work, the lower half of the die having a seat to receive the outer end of the punch when operated by the ram, interlocking shoulders on the members, and a releasable link means for clamping the members together with the interlocking shoulders in firm engagement.

6. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and a ram, a reciprocating tool actuated by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising two principal members, one of which is fixed and the other movable, the two defining between them a work receiving opening of which substantially one-half is formed in one member and the remainder in the other, a pivot pin connecting the two members at their outer ends and about which the movable member swings in the arc of a circle, cooperating means between the lower parts of the members assisting to distribute the thrust thereon due to the action of the tool substantially equally between them, and a locking means pivotally supported on one of the members and releasably engaging the other member to prevent them from separating when the tool is actuated.

7. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and a ram, a reciprocating tool actuated by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising two principal members, one of which is fixed and the other movable, the two defining between them a work receiving opening of which substantially one-half is formed in one member and the remainder in the other, a pivot pin connecting the two members at their outer ends and about which the movable member swings in the arc of a circle, cooperating means between the lower parts of the members assisting to distribute the thrust thereon due to the action of the tool substantially equally between them, a locking means pivotally supported on one of the members and releasably engaging the other member to prevent them from separating when the tool is actuated, and an eccentric for moving the locking means in the direction of its length to engage and release the movable member, the eccentric also acting as a pivot for thelocking means.

8. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder and ram, a reciprocating tool moved by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members hinged together at one end,

pivotally supported links for holding the members in operative'relation, pivots for one end of the links, and a self-locking eccentric supported by one of the members upon which the pivots are so mounted that when the eccentric is moved to one 01 its positions, the links are moved longitudinally to release the members and when moved to its self-locking position, the links are moved in the opposite direction to lock the members in operative positions.

, 9. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder, a ram, a tool in axial alignment with the rain and moved thereby, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members hinged together at their outer ends and defining between them an opening to receive the work and also a second opening perpendicular to the first through which latter the tool moves on its working stroke, interlocking shoulders between the members so located as to absorb a part of the thrust on the members when the tool acts on the work, and releasable means engaging the movable member for holding it in operative relation with the shoulders in interlocking engagemerit.

10. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder, a. ram, 9. tool in axial alignment with the ram and moved thereby for acting on the work, a pair of members supported by the cylinder, one of which is fixed and the other movable, the two when in operative position defining a work receiving opening, a pivot for uniting the members in a region above the work receiving opening, interlocking shoulders between the end or the movable member remote from the pivot and a fixed part, the shoulders being located below the work receiving opening, link means for holding the members in adjusted position with the shoulders in engagement, the means being located below the work receiving opening, a self locking eccentric mounted on one of the members for moving the link means in the direction of its length and acting as a pivot therefor, and a device carried by the link means and located at the end remote from the eccentric for engaging the lower end of the movable member, the link means being located below the work receiving opening.

11. An hydraulic press comprising a cylinder, a ram, a punch moved by the ram, a head secured to the cylinder comprising fixed and movable members defining an opening to receive the work, a pivot pin uniting the members at their outer ends, a two-part adapter die divided in a transverse plane and located in the work receiving opening to change the shape of the work, the parts of the die being initially separated and having a circular periphery and a non-circular bore, the lower half of the die being acted upon by the punch on its working stroke, interlocking shoulders on the members, and a releasable link means for clamping the members together with the interlocking shoulders inlfirm engagement.

EUGENE D. EBY; THOMAS C. AITCHISON.

cERTIFIoKrEbF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,180,979. November 21, 1959.

EUGENE D. EBY, ET AL.

It is hereby eertified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correetion as follows: Page 1, second column, line 1 .2, after the patent number "2,158,855" and. before the period, insert i'ssued Hay'16, 193 9; and that the said Letters Pateiit should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of January, A. D. 191 0.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) 'Acting Commissioner of'Patents. 

